Donald Trump Just Repeated His Favourite Piece Of Misinformation About Nato

Donald Trump has repeated his favourite piece of misinformation about Nato as he took another swipe at the military alliance.

The US president said the organisation – of which America is a founding member – “will never come” to the Unites States’ rescue, despite the fact it did just that after the September 11 terror attacks on New York in 2001.

That remains the only time Nato has invoked Article 5 of its constitution, which obliges all member states to help defend another if it comes under attack.

Trump also repeated his criticism of Nato for not sending warships to help re-open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic – even though it is a purely defensive alliance. 

Speaking at a meeting of his cabinet in the White House, Trump said: “We’re very disappointed with Nato because Nato has done absolutely nothing. 

“And I’ve always said, 25 years ago, I was somebody that wasn’t a politician but I was always involved in politics and I understood politics.

“I said 25 years ago that Nato’s a paper tiger, but more importantly that we’ll come to their rescue but they will never come to ours.

“And I want you to remember that we said this. They never came to our rescue. Now they all want to help when the other side is annihilated.

“They made a statement a couple of them that ‘we want to get involved when the war’s over’. No, you’re supposed to get involved when the war’s beginning, or even before it begins.”

Trump sparked a furious row in January when he said Nato troops had “stayed a little back, a little off the frontlines” during the war in Afghanistan which followed 9/11.

Keir Starmer urged the president to apologise for the “insulting and frankly appalling” remarks.